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having a smaller distance between opposite sides or surfaces than other similar objects or than normal 薄的；细的 Cut the vegetables into thin strips. 把菜切成细条。 A number of thin cracks appeared in the wall. 墙上出现了许多细裂缝。 The body was hidden beneath a thin layer of soil. 尸体被埋在薄薄的一层土下面。 Palm trees cast long, thin shadows on the lawn. 棕榈树在草坪上投下细长的影子。 He knew that the ice was too thin to risk crossing the river. 他知道冰太薄，不能冒险过河。 a thin blouse (= of light cloth) 薄薄的女衬衫
Extra Examplesa plate of wafer-thin bread and butter 一盘极薄的黄油面包 a sliver of rock thin enough to be translucent 薄到半透明的一块岩石 She pinched her thin lips together. 她薄薄的双唇紧闭着。 The wind blew cold through his thin shirt. 风吹透他薄薄的衬衫，冷飕飕的。 Water forms a thin film between the tyre and the road. 水在轮胎和路面之间形成一层薄膜。
- (sometimes disapproving)
(of a person or part of the body 人或身体部位 not covered with much fat or muscle 瘦的 He was tall and thin, with dark hair. 他又高又瘦，满头黑发。 She was looking pale and thin. 她面黄肌瘦。 How do you stay so thin? 你怎么保持这么瘦？ He is as thin as a rake (= very thin). 他骨瘦如柴。 thin legs 细腿
Vocabulary Building Saying that somebody is thinsee also pencil-thinSaying that somebody is thin 形容人瘦 Thin is the most usual word: thin 为最常用词： Steve is tall and thin and has brown hair. 史蒂夫瘦高个儿，长着棕色的头发。
该词有时含贬义： Mother looked thin and tired after her long illness. 久病之后，母亲看上去很憔悴。
- Slim means pleasantly thin. It is often used to describe women who have controlled their weight by diet or exercise:
She has a beautifully slim figure. 她的身材十分苗条。
- A slender girl or woman is thin and graceful.
- A lean man is thin and fit.
- Willowy describes a woman who is attractively tall and thin.
willowy 指女子身材高挑，婀娜多姿。
- Skinny means very thin, often in a way that is not attractive:
a skinny little kid. 瘦骨嶙峋的小孩
- Bony describes parts of the body when they are so thin that the bones can be seen:
bony 指人体某部位瘦得骨头突出： the old man’s bony hands. 这老人骨瘦如柴的双手
- Scrawny suggests that a person is thin, weak and not attractive:
scrawny 指人干瘪、骨瘦如柴： a scrawny old woman. 骨瘦如柴的老妇
- Gaunt describes a person who is a little too thin and looks sad or ill.
gaunt 指人消瘦、憔悴。 - Underweight is used in medical contexts to describe people who are too thin because they are ill or have not had enough food:
underweight 在医学上指人因疾病或进食不足而没达到标准体重： Women who smoke risk giving birth to underweight babies. 抽烟的妇女生出的婴儿可能会体重不足。
- Emaciated describes a serious condition resulting from illness or not enough food.
- Anorexic is a medical term, but is also used informally to describe somebody, especially a girl or woman, who is so thin that you are worried about them.
Extra ExamplesTopics Appearancea2How do you manage to stay so thin? 你是怎样保持这么瘦的？ The old horse was painfully thin. 那匹老马骨瘦如柴。
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not growing closely together or in large amounts 稀少的；稀疏的 thin grey hair 稀疏的花白头发
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containing more liquid than is normal or expected 稀薄的；淡的 Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
fairly easy to see through 能见度较高的；稀薄的 containing less oxygen than normal 稀薄的；含氧少的 Humans would not be able to survive in the thin atmosphere of the planet. 人类将无法在地球稀薄的大气中生存。
- (disapproving)
high and weak 微弱的；尖细的；有气无力的 not sincere or enthusiastic 不真心实意的；冷淡的 not very bright 微弱的；暗淡的 the thin grey light of dawn 浅灰色的晨曦
of poor quality; without an important quality 质量差的；空乏的；拙劣的 a thin excuse (= one that people are not likely to believe) 站不住脚的借口 Their arguments all sound a little thin to me. 他们的论据我听起来都觉得有点儿缺乏说服力。 The general standard of applicants is pretty thin this year. 今年申请人的总体水平相当低。
Extra ExamplesHis knowledge of the country was somewhat thin. 他对这个国家的了解有点少。 The evidence seems awfully thin. 证据似乎非常薄弱。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- become
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- spread something (too) thin
- stretch something (too) thin
- thin on the ground
- …
not thick薄；细
not fat瘦
hair毛发
liquid液体
smoke烟
air空气
sound声音
smile微笑
light光
poor quality劣质
Word OriginOld English thynne, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dun and German dünn, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin tenuis.
Idioms
be skating/walking on thin ice
to be taking a risk 履薄冰；冒风险
disappear, vanish, etc. into thin air
to disappear suddenly in a mysterious way 消失得无影无踪；不翼而飞；悄然而逝 She can’t just have vanished into thin air. 她不可能凭空消失了。 At a stroke she could make things vanish into thin air. 她用手碰到什么就能让它消失不见。
have a thin time (of it)
- (British English, informal)
to have many problems or difficulties to deal with; to not be successful 遇到许多麻烦；过得不顺 He’s had a thin time of it since losing his job. 自从失业以来，他日子过得很不好。
out of thin air
from nowhere or nothing, as if by magic 凭空；无中生有地 Unfortunately, I can’t just conjure up the money out of thin air! 可惜我不能凭空变出钱来！
spread yourself too thin
to try to do so many different things at the same time that you do not do any of them well 样样都抓，哪样都抓不好 With four markets to manage, there's a danger that's she's spreading herself too thin. 她要管理四个市场，恐怕会分身乏术。
thick/thin on the ground
the thin end of the wedge
- (especially British English)
an event or action that is the beginning of something more serious and/or unpleasant （不好的事物的）端倪，冰山一角 The introduction of a tax on workplace parking is seen by many as the thin end of the wedge. 对工作场所停车征税的引入被许多人视为楔形的细端。
thin/bald on top
- (informal)
with little or no hair on the head 头发稀疏；谢顶 He's starting to get a little thin on top (= he's losing his hair). 他开始有点谢顶了。 He's going bald on top. 他谢顶了。
a thin skin
the lack of ability to accept criticism, offensive remarks, etc. without becoming upset 脸皮薄；顾及脸面 You shouldn’t be in politics if you have such a thin skin. 脸皮这么薄就不该从政。
through thick and thin
walk/tread a fine/thin line (between A and B)
to be in a difficult or dangerous situation where you could easily make a mistake 处于困境（或险境）；如履薄冰；走钢丝 He was walking a fine line between being funny and being rude. 他想滑稽而不粗鲁，难以把握分寸。 She often seems to tread a thin line between success and failure. 她似乎经常在成功和失败之间徘徊。
Extra ExamplesHis comedy treads the line between shocking and sickening. 他的喜剧在令人震惊和恶心之间徘徊。 We have to walk a fine line to make sure we don't promote one brand more than another. 我们必须谨慎行事，以确保我们不会推广一个品牌超过另一个品牌。 His buildings walk the thin line between visionary and completely mad. 他的建筑在幻想和完全疯狂之间徘徊。
wear thin